Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

6 Answers

What are the benefits to become a Commercial Pilot if I’m just flying for fun?

Asked by: 5503 views FAA Regulations

I am PPL about to complete my Instruments rating. I'd like to experience advanced airplane like a multi engine turbo prop and also jets. If I'm flying just for fun sometime with family and friend but NOT FOR COMPNSTION AND HIRE do I need to get Commercial License or can I add multi engine to my Private Pilot.

Thank you very much for the help and support that you providing here.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

6 Answers



  1. Alex Clark on Sep 24, 2012

    From what I can remember, my commercial rating was the most easy and most fun… It is a sort-of super private. The manuevers are more interesting and the flying has tighter goals. Plus you do get to fly retract gear, constant speed props and so on..
    ..
    While it is true that you could do the same training without earning your commercial rating, the question then becomes, why not???
    It would be like swiming 90% of the way across the ocean and then turning back…

    It will only make you a better pilot,,, and any additional ratings will reduce you insurance rates. The advanced rating will also help your efforts to rent more advanced aircraft.

    +5 Votes Thumb up 5 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. n on Sep 24, 2012

    No, you dont need one.

    It’s always odd when a hobby pilot gets his CPL, it’s like calling yourself Colonel at a bar and saying, no I’m not a real Colonel, just like the title.

    Just go get your high performance endorsement and multi add-on and have fun,

    -8 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 10 Votes



  3. Bob Watson on Sep 25, 2012

    You can add categories and classes to your PPL, so that’s not a problem. At the same time, you need to go up and get signed off every two years for your flight review so one way to make that interesting is to add ratings. As Alex pointed out, the CPL isn’t a tough rating, as ratings go, but it does require more precision and mastery of the airplane than you need for a PPL. Whether you use that to impress people in a bar, is up to you, and there’s no reason you couldn’t learn lazy-8’s and 1080-degree turns without going for the checkride, but,as Alex said above, after all that, why not?

    So, adding the CPL can be fun AND it can make you a better pilot, even if you never fly for compensation or hire. But with the CPL (and a Class-II medical) you now have that option should you ever change your mind.

    +5 Votes Thumb up 5 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  4. Earl Kessler on Sep 30, 2012

    You may decide to charge for your services sometime in the future. Getting it now makes that a possibility instead of waiting until you really need it.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  5. Bill Trussell on Oct 01, 2012

    To answer the last part of your question about adding ME rating to your private certificate, you can certainly do that. However, I would point out that if you are close to meeting the requirements for your commercial certificate it is to your advantage to add the ME rating to a commercial certificate. It saves a check ride later on if you desire to have mulit engine commercial privileges at a later time. I usually recommend to students that they achieve their commercial certification first, then add the ME rating.

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  6. Micah on Oct 09, 2012

    I won’t go into detail on any one of these, but there are many reasons one could seek the commercial certificate, including at least these:

    1. Experience
    2. Training (proficiency and skill development)
    3. Accomplishment
    4. Insurance benefit (I presume this makes a difference)
    5. Future options

    0 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 1 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.